Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill Captured Presentations for Online Learning Curt Hill and Brian M. Slator

PowerPoint ® is Everywhere Appeared in 1987 Like other Microsoft Office products, dominates the market Not the only presentation software How many here use something else? Prevalent in government, business and education How many PowerPoint presentations have you seen this weekend? Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

PowerPoint ® is Wonderful Almost anything that can be written on a board or shown with a transparency can be embedded Gives the audience an informational focal point More difficult to ignore than notes Generally should improve over time Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

PowerPoint ® is Evil Edward Tufte: “PowerPoint is a competent slide manager and projector But rather than supplementing a presentation, it has become a substitute for it.” Dale Cyphert: “Requiring students to create and use electronically generated “visual aids” seems to result in a semester-long demonstration of things speakers should never do with projection equipment.” Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Best Practices Avoid small fonts or too much text High contrast between test and background Avoid animations that detract from the message Provide presentation or handouts in advance Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

The Questions Can a presentation be recorded and implemented in VCSU-MEP? Will the advantages of this format be maintained? Will this be effective? What is VCSU-MEP? Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

VCSU-MEP Formerly known as ProgrammingLand A hypertextbook designed to teach CS classes –CS 1, CS 2, Data Structures and Database are partially or fully implemented in VCSU-MEP It has mostly been used as a component of a hybrid class The class is nearly traditional except that the MOO replaces a textbook VCSU-MEP has been used as a stand- alone online delivery mechanism Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

How do students use? They start a Java-enabled web browser –Currently using enCore Xpress client Login at a link page Move around the MOO by clicking links Interact with objects Fulfill lesson requirements Receive assignments Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Typical Room Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Discussion The login gives the ability to track students The main display is content The student is aware of other students present The icons on bottom right are hyperlinks that will take the student to other rooms Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

MOOApplet Allows any Java applet to be used in the MOO Two sides –The Java side is a descendent of Applet –The MOO side is an object that starts the Java side and receives the results Served as a suitable ancestor for a recorded presentation Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

RecordedPresentation Applet A jar file contains a presentation Each slide is represented by two files in the jar: –An image –A sound clip The applet reads the files and plays the presentation Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Screen Shot Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Usage The normal player buttons are shown –Back, Play, Stop, Forward In order to enforce the requirements, the student cannot move forward until the entire clip has been heard The Play All puts a two second pause between clips The Outline button opens a new tab and displays a PDF outline Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Presentation MOO Object Builds the HTML and starts the applet Receives notification that the presentation has been completed Updates the student object to give them credit for completing the presentation Records progress Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Interconnection After each sound clip is played a message is sent to the MOO If the student stops the presentation in the middle it can be restarted where it was left off When the presentation is finished the MOO records this event on the student object –It may be the requirement of the lesson Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Stand-Alone Applet In stand-alone mode the applet is part of a web page and not connected to the MOO The requirement that sound clips must be finished to advance is dropped Very handy for: –Students who missed class –Reviewing the material Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Post Script The great flood of 2009 has had severe repercussions on VCSU No classroom classes since April 9 Classes are to be conducted online Time to start recording presentations! Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill

Questions? Copyright © 2009 Curt Hill